Of Oysters and Authors

by Amanda Harte

What do authors have in common with oysters? If you answered "not too much," think again. You might be surprised at the lessons to be learned from the lowly oyster. And no, I'm not suggesting that both are served on the half shell to ravenous publishing executives.

Consider the following: Both oysters and authors produce things of beauty; however, just as not all oysters produce pearls, only some people produce a book. What's the difference? Irritation. When sand or other foreign matter invades the oyster's shell, the oyster responds by covering the grit with a soothing substance. The greater the irritation, the larger the pearl. (At least that's my theory.) Conversely, the oyster with a perfect existence (translation: no sand) will have no reason to produce a pearl.

Okay, you're saying, but what does this have to do with writers? In the same way that an oyster needs sand, we need some impetus, something that makes us uncomfortable,something that forces us to do the hard work of producing a manuscript. For some of us, that impetus is as simple as bills to be paid. For others, it's the need to reach a goal, achieve a dream. Other irritants are a story that haunts us, characters that won't let us sleep until we've told their story, or a void in our lives that needs filling. These are a writer's sand, the annoying elements that force us to do the hard work of putting words on paper, of polishing our prose until it gleams as brightly as a pearl. Without them, we may talk about writing, but it's doubtful we'll ever write.

Each person's reaction to sand will be different. Some will ignore it. They're the people who'll never be writers. Others, for whom the irritation is mild, may write smaller pieces rather than a book. One woman who freely admits that her life is very satisfying, told me her friends are trying to convince her to write a novel. The problem is, she has no desire to be a novelist. She writes non-fiction, and that meets her needs.

But for some people, sand is unbearable -- a major irritant -- and there's only one cure. If you're serious about wanting to be a published author, I urge you to search for the sand in your life, then turn it into the basis for a pearl.

Amanda Harte is the author of several contemporary romances, and three young adult mysteries. Her medieval historical, Silver Thorns, was released by Pinnacle in September 1996. She is a member of the Hudson Valley Chapter RWA. This article originally appeared in the May 1997 issue of A Word About Romance. GDRWA thanks the Hudson Valley chapter for allowing us to reprint it

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